


Insomnia

by Ruenis



Series: Forget-me-not [2]
Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fae & Fairies, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 12:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7845889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruenis/pseuds/Ruenis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's hard to fall asleep, sometimes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> I myself have trouble sleeping sometimes.. so I thought, if I can't sleep, I might as well write.
> 
>  
> 
> also, set in the same AUverse as 'Façade'.

Gazing up at the canopy above him, Inaho looks up at the stars rather than the ceiling of his bedroom. The stars peek out from behind the leaves, shiny lights in a sea of black and forest green. He is lying in the same field where he first met Slaine, the grass here warm, safe, familiar, just like his bed, and yet.. he is still unable to fall asleep. He holds his hand out above them, creating a second barrier between the stars and him. He gazes at them through the gaps between his fingers, through the gaps in the leaves.. They shine, glisten, dazzle, illuminating the night sky like fireflies dancing in the night. He prefers the sky to his bedroom ceiling; this, at least, allows him to look at the stars and moon.

“Do you think it could rain stars..?”

Inaho tenses up immediately at the voice; it is far too close for comfort. Turning his head slightly toward where he had heard it, he relaxes upon finding it is just Slaine lying beside him, on his stomach.

Still, however, the faery had _not_ been there seconds ago. He had not even heard him approach.

“Rain stars?” Inaho asks, gazing at that curious, thoughtful look on Slaine's features.

“You know..” Slaine presses his cheek to his arm, using them as a pillow for himself as he lies still on the grass, “They would fall down like rain.. except it wouldn't be liquid rain.. it would be stars.. and they would shine, and when they hit the ground, they would dissipate and leave behind glittering mist on the ground..” His legs are crossed together, waving somewhat in the air, and his wings flutter every-so-often with them. Like the stars, his wings shine a bit in the scattered moonlight.

_He looks ethereal._

Eyes widening in surprise, Inaho finds himself staring, _You have a beautiful mind._ “Would.. the stars be solid?” he asks, wanting to keep the conversation going if Slaine is willing. The faery rarely initiates conversation to begin with, but if he _wants_ to talk.. the prince is more than happy to indulge. He continues to stare at the other, noting how soft his features seem. It clicks seconds later. _He's sleepy,_ he realises, gazing at Slaine's half-lidded teal eyes, _He can't sleep, either..?_

Slaine shakes his head somewhat, his own gaze on the grass under them. “They'd.. be more like ice..” he says slowly, giving it some thought, “I'd imagine they would fall, shining, and then when they hit the ground, they would turn to sparkling dust..”

Inaho falters, at a loss for words for just a moment. _What kind of ice does that?_ he wonders, confused by the comparison. He does not comment on it, however, figuring if Slaine is just as sleepy as he is, he may be a bit addled. “Does it rain stars in your realm?”

Smiling drowsily at the question, Slaine shakes his head, “I wish it did..”

 _So do I,_ Inaho thinks to himself, trying to burn Slaine's sweet smile into his mind.

“.. you know..” Slaine continues quietly, voice so unusually soft, gentle, “if you want to look at the stars.. you could move to another area..”

“I.. was trying to fall asleep,” Inaho admits, “The stars were a plus.”

Slaine hums at that, and lets his eyes slip shut. “You can't fall asleep, either..?” he asks, a trace of empathy in his soft tone.

“No,” Inaho answers, shaking his head somewhat, “I can't.”

Slaine goes quiet for a few moments, and Inaho wonders if he has dozed off. Then, he mumbles, “Faeries don't need as much sleep as you humans do.. We aren't nocturnal because we usually dance all night.. If possible however, I would prefer not to have problems..”

 _He's volunteering information,_ Inaho thinks, wondering if that is a good sign for their relationship. “.. how.. how much sleep do you need?”

“Four to eight hours,” Slaine murmurs, yawning softly. Covering his mouth with his arm, the yawn turns into soft coughs, and a few petals slip from his lips. He finally opens his eyes, then, to frown at the delicate blue things. He brushes them off of him and onto the grass, having never been found of the petals touching him.

_He's still coughing those up.._

The faery settles his gaze on Inaho, another perplexed look on his features.

Inaho can practically see the gears turning in Slaine's head.

“Are you.. okay? Humans need eight hours of sleep daily..”

The question catches Inaho off guard. He had not been expecting Slaine to ask him something like that so bluntly, though given his current half-asleep state.. _He's worried about me.._

“You'll die if you don't sleep, right..?” Slaine asks, features shifting to a light frown.

Inaho shakes his head somewhat, “No, that.. that isn't how it works..” He recalls what Slaine had said when they first met, something along the lines of ' _humans need sleep or they'll collapse and die_ '.. He had not given it any thought then, but has since learnt that Slaine is rather lacking in the 'human knowledge' department. “I'm.. not going to die,” he continues, his own voice soft, careful, “It takes around ten days without sleep for us to feel especially negative effects.”

“Oh..” Slaine blinks, looking surprised, but relieved.

Heart rising to his throat, Inaho tries to remind himself that Slaine can barely form a coherent thought at the moment. _He probably won't remember this in the morning.._

“How long..” Slaine starts to ask, yawning quietly again. He covers his mouth with his hand, and continues behind it, “.. how long have.. you not slept?”

“Just today,” Inaho answers, not sure where the faery is going with this.

Slaine pulls his hand away, and gazes at his palm, teal eyes struggling to stay open now. “Then.. do.. do you need help..?” he asks, tracing something along his palm with his nail.

Inaho hesitates. “.. ' _help_ '?” he echoes.

Is Slaine going to knock him out?

“I.. can do basic sleeping spells..” Slaine explains with another small smile, “If I give you a flower, and you eat the petals when.. when you get back to the castle, they'll help you sleep..”

“You'd do that for me?” Inaho asks, almost too quickly.

Still, the smile on Slaine's lips does not falter, and he remains drowsily cheerful. “I don't.. have any reason not to,” he says softly.

 _Then.._ “I'd like that,” Inaho says, returning the smile with a warm one of his own, “Thank you, Slaine.”

 

 

 

“So.. I just have to eat the petals..?” Inaho asks, thumb gently caressing one of the bellflower's petals. He has a handful of the purple blossoms in his hands, each with about five petals. As their name implies, they are shaped like little bells, and their pistil even resembles a bell's clapper.

“Just one,” Slaine murmurs, yawning again, “Just..” He pauses, gently rubbing one of his teal eyes again, “.. just one petal.. you can eat one a night until they run out..”

 _There's enough for a month,_ Inaho realises, heart swelling in his chest, _I won't have to deal with insomnia for a bit.._ “Thank you, Slaine. Really,” he says softly, happy that they were able to speak without the awkwardness of the day. _I got to see a different side to him tonight.._

Slaine smiles warmly, shaking his head, “It's.. fine.”

“I..” Inaho starts to say, stopping himself. Instead, he smiles back, and bows politely. “Goodnight, Slaine.”

“Goodnight,” Slaine murmurs, waving politely, “I'll see you tomorrow.”

* * *

 

Standing still suddenly, Inaho finds himself surprised to hear soft humming. The tune is unrecognisable but pretty, light sounding. He is heading over toward the pond area where Slaine sometimes lingers, this spot the closest to town.

And, given that the other fey do not typically wander so closely..

_Is.. that..?_

Inaho takes a few steps forward, peeking out from behind a tree to find Slaine sitting at the edge of the pond, his legs swinging in the water and his hands in his hair.

A jar filled with some sort of odd, unfamiliar looking clouded yellow gel sits beside the faery, its top beside it. Slaine is currently rubbing some of the gel into his hair, dyeing the near-white an off-yellow. It is not foaming, allowing Inaho to assume it is not a standard kind of soap, but he is not sure what else it _would_ be.

But that is not what matters.

The quiet humming is coming from _Slaine_ , who is currently so in his own world that he has yet to realise Inaho has arrived.

 _I didn't know he could hum well,_ Inaho thinks to himself, pulling away from the tree after a moment. He quietly clears his throat to let the faery know that he is there; last time he inadvertently startled Slaine, he was greeted with some kind of large, sharp thorn that barely missed his cheek when it was flung at him. Since then, he has learnt not to startle the faery. “Good morning, Slaine,” he says softly, taking a few steps forward.

Slaine turns his head somewhat, just enough to meet Inaho's eyes, and then returns to washing his hair. He resumes his humming as well, not bothering to return the greeting.

 _Ah.. he's back to normal.._ Inaho realises, smiling somewhat. “Did you sleep well, last night?” he asks, trying to see if Slaine remembers what had happened. He joins Slaine's side, sitting beside him on the grass.

“I slept normally,” Slaine answers, turning his head again to frown slightly at the other, “Why? Did you have a hard time sleeping last night?”

“I slept fine,” Inaho says softly, his smile softening when he sees that flicker of confusion in Slaine's eyes. “I was just thinking about you.”

“A-ah..” Slaine's cheeks darken, and his frown deepens. He shifts his gaze back to the pond, embarrassed, and dips his hands into the water. “Don't be creepy,” he mumbles, “I already had a weird dream that involved you.” He adjusts himself somewhat, kneeling now, and starts to wash his hair of the odd gel.

“You did?” Inaho asks curiously, “Did you finally decide to say yes to my proposal?”

“Wh-.. what?” Slaine sputters, sitting up immediately, cheeks crimson now, “No! Of course I haven't!” Reaching his hands down, he splashes the brunet with water, soaking his pants, and promptly submerges himself in the pool. He resurfaces after a second, glaring up at the other, “Don't be weird!”

Inaho only smiles, continuing to gaze at the blushing faery. “What did you put in your hair?” he asks, deciding to change the subject before Slaine gets too flustered, “I've never seen that kind of soap before.”

 _I'll keep last night to myself,_ he decides, _We'll have similar nights when we're married, anyway._

 


End file.
